Course Outline

This course is now running on-demand rather than to a live schedule, making it easier to fit into your life.

^{If you are not currently logged into ASCE, you will be asked to login or create an ASCE account.}

Schedule

This course outline is subject to change.

Week 1: Water Treatment and Water Contaminants

Learning Outcomes:

• Assess chemical processes used in water treatment
  • List the processes and where they apply in WT
  • How are these used in a WT plant?
• Recognize physical processes used in water treatment
• Explore biological processes used in water treatment

Topics:

• Overview of water characteristics
• Water contaminants
• Chemical water treatment processes
• Physical water treatment processes
• Biological water treatment processes
• Summary of water treatment

Week 2: Water Chemistry – Kinetics & Reactions

Learning Outcomes:

• Differentiate between first and second-order chemical reaction kinetics
• Explore catalysts role in chemical reactions
• Describe chemical equilibrium
• Compare acids and bases
• Define weak acid-weak base reactions
• Define strong acid-strong base reactions
• Recognize multi-protic acids and conjugate bases
• Calculate pH for various mixtures and reactions

Topics:

• Overview of water characteristics
• Water contaminants
• Chemical water treatment processes
• Physical water treatment processes
• Biological water treatment processes
• Summary of water treatment
• Charge balancing
• Strong acid-strong base reactions
• Weak acid-weak base reactions
• Multi-protic acids
• Conjugate bases
• Calculating pH for various mixtures

Week 3: Water Chemistry –  Carbonate Systems & Coordination Chemistry

Learning Outcomes:

• Differentiate between open and closed carbonate systems
• Predict reactions to the carbonate system when solids are present or not
• Recognize organic ligands and complexes
• Explore precipitation and dissolution
• Interpret pourbaix diagrams
• Investigate reduction/oxidation reactions
• Assess corrosion reactions
• Explore iron chemistry
• Describe chlorine chemistry

Topics:

• Carbonate system chemistry
• Ligands and organic complexes
• Precipitation and dissolution reactions
• Pourbaix diagrams
• Oxidation and reduction reactions
• Corrosion chemistry
• Iron chemistry
• Chlorine chemistry

Week 4: Physical Water Treatment Processes – Mixing, Precipitation and Clarification

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand mixing goals
• Understand coagulation’s role in clarification
• Understand settling and flotation
• Understand precipitation and lime softening
• Identify models used for mixing, coagulation, and settling

Topics:

• Mixing in water treatment
• Mixing with sweep flocculation
• Particle physics with coagulation
• Settling dynamics
• Flotation dynamics
• Mixing models
• Coagulation models
• Settling and flotation models
• Precipitation and lime softening

Week 5: Physical Water Treatment Processes – Filtration and Separation Processes

Learning Outcomes:

• Recognize filtration and separation processes
• Visualize media filtration dynamics
• Investigate membrane separation dynamics
• Explore alternative filtration dynamics
• Interpret models used for filtration and separation

Topics:

• Media filtration
• Low pressure membrane processes
• High pressure membrane processes
• Slow sand filtration
• DE filtration
• Filtration models
• Bench and pilot scale testing

Week 6: Adsorption, Ion-Exchange and Gas Transfer

Learning Outcomes:

• Differentiate between absorption and adsorption
• Explore adsorption process applications
• Differentiate between cation and anion exchange
• Investigate gas transfer concepts
• List gas addition to water applications
• List de-gassing applications

Topics:

• Absorption and adsorption
• Adsorption process applications
• Cation exchange, anion exchange, and demineralization
• Gas transfer
• Aeration, ozonation, and gas addition
• Degassing applications

Week 7: Physical/Chemical Water Treatment Processes - Disinfection, Oxidation and Precipitation

Learning Outcomes:

• Assess disinfection and oxidation
• Identify disinfectants and oxidants
• Explore where oxidants are used
• Recognize where disinfectants are used
• Describe disinfection and oxidation by-products

Topics:

• Disinfectants used in drinking water
• Oxidants used in drinking water
• Chlorine reactions
• Chloramine reactions
• Chlorine dioxide reactions
• UV reactions
• Ozone reactions
• Electrochemical reactions
• Permanganate reactions
• Ferrate reactions
• Advance oxidation reactions

Week 8: Biological Processes – GAC and Filtration

Learning Outcomes:

• Define biological processes used in water treatment
• Identify biological processes in biological filtration
• Explore biological activity on GAC media
• Recognize biological activity on ozone BAC filters
• Describe biological activity on slow sand filters
• Assess biological activity control measures in filters

Topics:

• Biological activity on GAC filters
• Biological activity on biologically active rapid sand filters
• Biological activity on slow sand filters
• Biological activity control measures

Week 9: Biological Processes – Iron, Sulfide & Nitrogen

Learning Outcomes:

• Compare autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria
• Explore iron bacteria processes and organisms
• Assess sulfide bacteria and processes
• Investigate nitrate and nitrite bacteria and processes
• Recognize ammonia bacteria and processes

Topics:

• Autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria
• Biological iron removal
• Biological treatment of hydrogen sulfide
• Ammonia oxidizing bacteria
• Nitrate and nitrite biological reactions
• Denitrification systems

Week 10: Biological Processes – Other Contaminants

Learning Outcomes:

• Describe where biological processes are being used
• Identify contaminants that can potentially can be removed biologically
• Assess natural organic removal
• Interpret DBP removal
• Compare chlorate and perchlorate removal
• Articulate bromate removal
• Explore chromate removal

Topics:

• Contaminants amenable to biological treatment
• Natural organic matter removal
• Trace organics removal
• DBP removal
• Chlorate and perchlorate removal
• Bromate removal
• Chromate removal
• Selenium removal

Week 11: Distribution System Reactions

Learning Outcomes:

• Identify chemical reactions in the distribution system
• Assess the impact of physical changes in the distribution system
• Describe biological changes in the distribution system

Topics:

• Chlorine in the distribution system
• Chloramine in the distribution system
• Corrosion reactions
• Temperature and ORP
• Calcium carbonate precipitation and dissolution
• Aluminum precipitation
• Aeration, ozonation, and gas addition
• Lead in the distribution system and premise piping
• Pipe scale
• Metals release from physical and chemical changes to scale
• Biofilm reactions
• Iron bacterial reactions
• Sulfide bacterial reactions

Week 12: Combining Treatment Processes

Learning Outcomes:

• Analyze treatment processes in conventional filtration
• Evaluate treatment processes in BAC filtration
• Recognize treatment processes in slow sand filtration
• Investigate treatment processes in membrane filtration
• Describe treatment processes in lime softening
• Assess treatment processes in adsorption processes
• Explore treatment processes in ion exchange

Topics:

• Case study: conventional filtration
• Case study: BAC filtration
• Case study: slow sand filtration
• Case study: membrane filtration
• Case study: lime softening
• Case study: adsorption
• Case study: ion exchange
• Case study: DAF & BAC
• Case study: groundwater treatment for nitrate, chromate, uranium, & other contaminants

This course outline is subject to change.

^{If you are not currently logged into ASCE, you will be asked to login or create an ASCE account.}